On May 8, 2018, voters of the City of Bellbrook will be asked to vote on an additional 1.75 mill Fire Fund Levy. This levy is to provide funding strictly for fire and emergency medical services.

Fire Levy PurposeThis levy will allow for the hiring of one additional full-time Firefighter/Paramedic. It will also allow an increase in the number of scheduled part-time hours. Approval of this level will improve the consistency of staffing for emergency responses. The Fire Department will have authorized staffing of 2 full-time Firefighter/Paramedics and 2 part-time Firefighter/EMTs on a 24 hour per day basis.

Fire Levy Costs

The request is a 1.75 mill additional levy. The Bellbrook Fire Department has not received increased property taxes since 2009. In fact, Fire Department revenue in 2017 is only $30,000 more than it was in 2010 (only a 3% increase over a seven year period)!

Appraised Value of Property

$100,000

$150,000

$200,000

Levy Cost

$61.25/yr

$91.88/yr

$122.5/yr

$5.10/mo

$7.66/mo

$10.21/mo

The appraised value of property is determined by the Greene County Auditor.

Lowest Local Government Costs

Each year, a survey of local governments in Greene and Montgomery counties is conducted to estimate the cost of local government for residents. The costs include property taxes, income taxes, school district income taxes and water/sewer fees. For 2017, the City of Bellbrook has the lowest cost among area local governments. The complete survey can be found here.

The City of Bellbrook is one of a few cities in the state of Ohio that does not levy an income tax on its residents. The City relies primarily on property taxes to fund the services provided to residents.

Fiscal Responsibility

The city prides itself on being fiscally conservative, responsible, and transparent. For more information on city finances, go to the Finance page.

Conservative Leadership
oCurrent property taxes are $562 per year for all municipal services (police, fire, zoning, property maintenance, street improvements, storm water improvements, and the the museum based on $100,000 of taxable home value).
oNo additional property tax levies have been passed by the city since 2009
oProperty tax rates have not changed since the replacement police levy passed in 2011.
o Bellbrook does not have a city income tax.

Responsible Management
oWater rates have not increased since 2011. If rates had been increased just 2% per year, water customers would be paying $40 more per year.
oWaste collection rates have decreased from $17 per month in 2011 to $13 per month in 2017. This has resulted in an annual savings of $48 per year for residents.
oPolice and fire dispatch consolidated with local agencies, saving Bellbrook residents approximately $125,000 annually.

Transparent Reporting
oThe city has a history of clean financial audits. In 2017, the city was awarded the Auditor of State Award for a clean audit of fiscal year 2016.
oFinancial records such as quarterly updates, annual budgets, and the most recent financial statement are available on the Finance page.

Service Stability

Over the last several years, cuts in state and federal funding have created a structural deficit for our city, and there is no indication this will be rectified in the future.

State Revenue down $256,000 per year
oThe Local Government Fund has been reduced from $174,000 in 2010 to $87,000 in 2016 (50% reduction).

oThe Estate Tax was eliminated (averaged $109,000 per year from 2007-2013).
oPersonal Property Tax & Utility Deregulation Reimbursements were eliminated ($60,000 in 2010; $0 in 2016).
Investment Revenue down $137,000 per year
oInterest revenue dropped significantly with the Great Recession ($169,000 in 2007; $32,000 in 2016).

Voting Information

For information on how to register to vote or where your polling location will be located on Election Day, please visit the Greene County Board of Elections website or call (937) 562-6170.

Early voting starts April 10 at the Board of Elections office located at 551 Ledbetter Road in Xenia.